


Stick Together and See it Through

by Nemainofthewater



Series: Rip Week 2019 [3]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Don't copy to another site, Episode 2x14 Moonshot, Episode 3x18 The Good The Bad The Cuddly, Fix-It, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Rip Week 2019, RipFic, Swearing, Unusual relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 04:37:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19369849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemainofthewater/pseuds/Nemainofthewater
Summary: Mick and Rip have a talk about self-sacrifice, friendship, and stupidity post 'Moonshot'. Fix-it.





	Stick Together and See it Through

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Rip Hunter Appreciation Week-Day 3: Unusual friends  
> Title from: 'You've got a Friend in Me' by Randy Newman.

“Well,” said a gruff voice behind him, “That was stupid.”

Rip didn’t stop his steady contemplation of the amber liquid he was swirling around his glass. It was rather hypnotics: round and round the liquid goes, where it’ll stop, nobody knows…

“As much as I enjoy our talks Mr Rory,” he said wearily, once Mick had made it clear that he wasn’t going to present some easily dealt with problem and then leave, “Shall we get the punching me part of the evening out of the way so I can properly enjoy this glass of scotch.”

There was a thump, and Mick Rory settled into a chair, helping himself to a generous portion of Rip’s liquor. He stretched, popping every single knuckle obnoxiously and obviously. 

“I’m not here to punch you,” he rumbled, “Though you deserve it.”

Rip scowled into his drink. “I know,” he said quietly. And he did deserve it. For god’s sake, he had killed Sara, hadn’t he? And tried to kill the others. Betrayed Gideon’s trust. Reneged on his duty as a (former?) Time Master and fucked up the timelines by giving the location of the spear pieces to the Legion of Doom. Maybe he should have died when he touched the Time Drive: things would be easier. He would have been able to go out a hero. And he would have been able to see his family again.

There was a grunt, and then a brief spark of pain where Mick had slapped him, surprisingly gently, around the head. 

Rip jerked his head up, bristling. “What did you do that for?”

“Had to knock some sense into your brain,” Mick said, “Not that there’s much room for it, what with all the idiocy that’s taken root.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to punch me!”

“That? That was a love tap. A lot less than you deserved after what you did.”

Rip scowled and took another deep gulp of his drink.

“In that case, I’m surprised you restrained yourself to a single blow.”

Mick actually rolled his eyes.

“See, that’s your problem English,” he said, “You never look on the bright side of life. I’m not here to punish you, or whatever you want me to do. Seems to me you’re doing plenty of that on your own.”

“On the contrary Mr Rory. After all, I am sitting here, alive and unharmed, am I not? Mr Heywood was not as lucky.”

“Yeah, I caught that little self-sacrificing stunt you tried to pull on the bridge,” Mick said, “After everything we’ve done to get you back, you just went and threw your life away like nothing.”

“Not that it’s any of your concern,” Rip said, “But it was the best course of action at the time.”

“Sure, it was. Just like piloting the Waverider into the sun was the best course of action. Or scattering the others throughout time before intercepting a nuclear bomb was the only course of action. Or confronting the Legion of Doom with a gun you didn’t know how to use was a good course of action.”

“Well, you can hardly blame me for the actions of my amnesic self.”

“You’ll find that I can and will,” Mick growled, and he actually looked angry now, hands clenching and unclenching. Rip instinctively leant back slightly, tensing as he prepared himself for the inevitable blow. 

Miraculously though, Mick managed to regain control of himself.

“You forget,” he said, “I was a guest of the Time Masters as well. For months.”

Rip sighed.

“And I’m sorry about that,” Rip said, “What I said to you on that ship…it was unconscionable. And wrong. You bring many things to this team, Mr Rory, and most of them good.”

“That was a shit apology,” Mick said flatly, “But I’ll take it. That also wasn’t the point, you deflecting bastard.”

“I see that your language has started to degenerate as well.”

Rip was starting to feel hounded. He had no idea what a man like Mick Rory would want to talk to him about. The man didn’t like him. That was a fact. And he had no idea what he wanted. 

“Another deflection,” Mick said, “What a surprise. The point I’m trying to make, English, is that if I’m messed up from a few months of their hospitality then it’s no surprise that you’re as fucked up as you are.”

“Excuse me?” Rip said,” Is there a point to this little pep talk, or are you just here to insult me?”

“There you go again avoiding things,” Mick said, and Rip felt a sudden, fierce bolt of hatred rush through him. Was it not enough that he had accepted that he no longer had a place aboard the Waverider? That Sara was a far better Captain than he had ever been? 

Mick sighed. 

“I can see I’m not getting anywhere here,” he said, “So let me out this into small words that you might understand-”

“-I’m not the one who mistook an extremely expensive 39th century micro transmitter for a chocolate chip,” Rip muttered.

“-if you ever throw your life away like that again,” Mick continued, undaunted, “I’ll kill you myself. Do you understand? I’ll travel back in time, completely destroying the integrity of the timeline that you’re always so worried about, and then I’ll shoot you with my gun. Several times.”

“Why Mr Rory,” Rip said bitterly, a sardonic smile twisting at his lips, “I didn’t know you cared.”

Mick looked him straight in the eyes.

“My best friend died for you,” he said, “And it was a damn stupid thing to do. I don’t need any other idiots thinking about useless sacrificial gestures. Haircut is impressionable: he doesn’t need the encouragement.”

He stood abruptly and snatched the half-empty bottle of scotch from beside Rip.

“I don’t want to lose another friend,” he said, and then turned and walked off, swigging from the bottle as he went. 

#

Much later, Mick growled.

“Wally,” he barked at the speedster, “Do me a favour and pick up Hunter. Leave the exploding time drive.”

A blur of gold, and a very ruffled Englishman was deposited in front of him, hands still raised in front of him.

“What…?” Rip said.

“Tell him he owes me another karaoke night,” Wally said, in the moments between dropping Rip at Mick’s feet like a cat presenting a particularly naughty kitten to be punished and speeding off to resume installing the time drive.

“Good job kid,” Mick said to the golden blur. He turned back to Rip.

“You on the other hand,” he said, and then he punched him. Shaking his hand out, he felt the unmistakeable sensation of the Waverider jumping into the temporal zone.

Mick grunted in satisfaction.

“Damn fool,” he said, and then wandered back down the corridor.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a legitimate fix-it, and I would like for you all to remember this when I post later works. Especially those for the 'Fix-It' prompt day...  
> I am on Tumblr as [Nemainofthewater ](https://nemainofthewater.tumblr.com)


End file.
